Benjamin Netanyahu and his government have found themselves in a bit of a pickle since the 7th of January. Huge protests took place that shocked the world after a judicial overhaul was presented by the far right government to allow members of parliament if they voted as a majority to halt any ruling made by the Supreme Court. It also allowed politicians to appoint judges of their own choosing. Ever since its formation, the government has been under heavy scrutiny and criticism, not only locally but also internationally. The latter can be presented with examples of American and European criticism of Israel's policies related to settlement expansion, and the excesses of the army in its military operations against the Palestinians. However, the matter has now reached the point of interference by Western governments in the internal decision making of the Israeli government. These protests have raised fears that they might develop into a civil war, as a group of elitists and army reservists lead it. Today, this overhaul has been frozen till summer. It must not be forgotten that there have been constant behind the scenes attacks on Palestinians, even though such attacks have always benefitted the image of Netanyahu.
The question regarding the Palestinians comes after remarks by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich regarding the Palestinian people that they simply don’t exist. He also called for the wiping out of the entire Palestinian town of Hawara with words that stunned the entire international community. Furthermore, the approach of Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir towards Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa strongly indicates that Israel is heading for a greater escalation and a bigger collision and fight with Palestinian society.
It is important to note that the ruling coalition - which relies on the religious Zionist orientation - does not even recognize the existence of the Palestinian people, and pushes for a Jewish state that is governed by the rules and teachings of the Torah and to establish what it calls "the Greater Land of Israel."
Screen capture from video of a masked man using an axe to attack a Palestinian man in a car in the West Bank town of Huwara, March 6, 2023. (YouTube; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
In fact, multiple attacks against Palestinians by the army and settlers have intensified during the protests. The most recent example is the West Bank town of Hawara. These terrorists attacked innocent Palestinian people with deadly weapons like stones and even axes. Although it is true that the settler terrorists were arrested by the Shin Bet, this doesn’t mean that army and security forces do not partake in the misery of the Palestinians disguising it as fighting terrorism in the name of peace and democracy.
During the past days, resistance fighters in the West Bank fought armed clashes with the Israeli forces, and carried out shooting operations against the soldiers and settlers, concentrated in the north of the West Bank. The most prominent among these was a clash of gunfire and homemade bombs, following an Israeli incursion into the town of Qabatiya in the Jenin governorate as well as in Tulkarm.
The Israeli plans to target and steal the land are fruitfully continuing, as statistics like the one issued by the “Central Statistical Organization”, stated that Israel controls more than 85% of the total land area in historical Palestine. As for the number of settlers in the West Bank, they have reached 719,452 settlers, as of the end of last year with numbers multiplying more and more.
The Israeli army demolished more than 258 buildings and houses, and issued demolition orders for more than 220 other buildings, including 100 residential buildings in an Al-Bustan neighborhood and others across all areas of Palestine. This has led to the displacement of 1,550 people, most of whom are children and women, some ending up even living in tents. The Israeli authorities carried out 378 demolitions, affecting 953 facilities in the West Bank during 2022, 31% of which were in the city of Jerusalem.
Experts have long agreed that the preferred strategy of the Israeli politicians every time there’s an election or they find themselves in a political crisis or scandal is to attack the Palestinians, especially bombing Gaza. Take for example the military operation in Gaza - which the Israeli army called "Sincere Dawn" – also known as the 2022 Israel-Gaza clashes. It had two political objectives being the competition for the Knesset elections and to draw attention away from the political crisis in Israel, in an attempt by Acting Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, in order to search for an image of victory that precedes settling the box.
Similarly, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought through the military operation “Guardian of the Walls' ' in May 2021.
Edited by : Ritaja Kar
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